kingofqueensfandomcom-20200223-history
The King of Queens
The King of Queens is an American sitcom that aired on CBS. It ran from September 21, 1998 to May 14, 2007. It stars Kevin James as Doug Heffernan, Leah Remini as Carrie Heffernan, and Jerry Stiller as Arthur Spooner, the three centeral characters of the show. The show would be the last live action show started in the 90's to end. The King of Queens was loosely based off the 60's TV show, The Honeymooners, which is even referenced in one episode. This show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions (1998–2007) in association with Columbia Pictures Television (1998–1999) Columbia TriStar Television (1999–2002), and Sony Pictures Television (2002–2007). It was filmed at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, USA. After the series finale broadcast on May 14, 2007, The King of Queens became the last American live action version sitcom that premiered in the 1990s to end its run.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165581/trivia Plot Doug and Carrie Heffernan (Kevin James and Leah Remini) are a working class couple living at 3121 Aberdeen Street in Rego Park, Queens, New York The exterior shots of the Heffernans' house have been made in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, see [http://www.iamnotastalker.com/2009/10/30/the-king-of-queens-house/ The King of Queens House, October 30, 2009.] along with Carrie's eccentric father, Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller).[http://cbs.seenon.com/detail.php?p=43900&v=cbs-kingofqueens King of Queens – The Complete Eighth Season, CBSStore.com, accessed 2009-05-30] Doug works for the fictional International Parcel Service (IPS) as a delivery driver, while Carrie works as a secretary in Manhattan, first for a law firm and later for a real estate firm. Their lives are complicated by the demands of Arthur, so much so that they eventually hire Holly (Nicole Sullivan), a professional dog walker, to spend time with him as she walks dogs in the park. Also featured on the show are Doug's friends Deacon Palmer (Victor Williams), Spencer Olchin (Patton Oswalt) and Richie Iannucci (Larry Romano, seasons 1–3 only), as well as his cousin Danny Heffernan (Gary Valentine season 3 onwards). Deacon's wife Kelly (Merrin Dungey) is Carrie's best friend. Doug's parents (played by Jenny O'Hara and Dakin Matthews) who live in Florida, appear occasionally, as does his sister (played by Ricki Lake). In the pilot episode, Carrie also has a half-sister named Sara (played by Lisa Rieffel), but she is dropped from the show without explanation and never mentioned again. Most scenes usually take place in the Heffernans' home, but other common locations include Doug and Carrie's workplaces, the restaurant "Cooper's" and the residences of friends and family. While locations seen during the theme-song were filmed in areas surrounding New York, the series was filmed in California. The show begins after Doug and Carrie have already married, and how they met is slightly unclear due to continuity issues. In one flashback episode, Doug meets Carrie when he is a bouncer at a nightclub that Carrie attends. However, in another episode "Road Rayge", Carrie reflects on a song that she says Doug asked her to dance to when they were in Junior High School. In a later episode, it was implied that they all went to high school together, as Kelly and Carrie were said to have slept with the same guy neither husband knew of until the day of the guy's wedding. Cast and characters 'Main Characters' Doug Heffernan (played by''' Kevin James) is an average parcel delivery man, with somewhat of a smart alecky nature. Vehement in character, Doug never hesitates to protest his grievances intensely. Doug's birth date is February 9, 1965. According to what Doug's parents revealed to him in episode 5x23 "Dog Shelter", he was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Some of his misadventures are often fueled by his love of food. These basic desires sometimes cause him to think of strange, intricate schemes in order to get what he wants, although they always manage to fall through in the end causing constant squabbles between him and Carrie. Doug's tendency to give in to his temptations, despite promising Carrie otherwise, is another common reason why the two have disagreements. He generally enjoys the simple pleasures of watching sports and playing poker with his friends. '''Carrie Heffernan (played by''' Leah Remini) is Doug's sarcastic and sharp-tongued wife. She has a tough attitude and is even physically abusive to Doug periodically. She has been judged by Holly and Doug as being scary (particularly when she's upset). During a flashback, Carrie finds that she is usually happier (she describes herself as never being truly happy) when others are miserable. She never finished college and is employed as a hard-working legal secretary. Her constant attempts to make their relationship and daily lives more romantic and meaningful causes Doug endless frustration as Doug prefers things to be simple and to have as few restrictions in life as possible. / The more perceptive and insightful of the couple, Carrie often pushes Doug to make more of himself and improve his morals but can be just as unscrupulous as he. Although Carrie admonishes Doug for his inconsiderate behaviour, she has proven herself to be even more inconsiderate at times, with little patience for others' problems or tolerance for their quirks. Many episodes have shown the couple trying to escape some socially unpleasant situation at Carrie's behest with it resulting in her abandoning Doug who, being the push-over, is left to fend for himself; she once left him lost in a forest to go have lunch, while another time she left him at an odd Bed and Breakfast run by an eccentric couple while she checked into a hotel and went dancing. Carrie's best friend is Deacon's wife, Kelly Palmer. '''Arthur Spooner (played by Jerry Stiller) is Carrie's widowed father, who has been married three times and then for the fourth time to Spence's mother during the final season, is the classic oddball of the family. He lives in the basement of the Heffernan house because he accidentally set fire to his own uninsured home, burning it to the ground saving only his hotplate, which started the fire, in the pilot episode. Very volatile, Arthur is mostly known for his incoherent, irascible outbursts. He tells a lot of questionable stories of what he claims he's been through in his past. Arthur is usually seen causing regular chaos and getting on someone's bad side with his antics, craziness, and obnoxious behaviors. Carrie and Doug sometimes have trouble finding some time alone just for the two of them because Arthur tends to get in the way. Even with all of his bad behavior, deep down Arthur has a heart of gold, which always manages to shine through, causing Doug and Carrie to feel guilty about yelling at him in the end. Arthur also tries to cause trouble with Doug's friends. He especially picks on Spence, but also (unsuccessfully) tries it on Deacon, who often refers to him as "the old man." Deacon Palmer '''(played by Victor Williams) is Doug's best friend. Deacon is the more responsible of the two, in addition to being the classic "family man." He is tall and athletic. Deacon and his wife Kelly have two sons named Major and Kirby. He's often seen hanging out with Doug, whether it's at their lunch break, over the weekend, or for a family gathering. Although he is often experiencing relationship problems, Deacon always has time to chill out and have fun. He will often help Doug plan elaborate schemes to fool Carrie, but rarely likes to get involved in the scheme himself. It is mentioned in a number of episodes that Deacon attended St. John's University in Queens, but whether or not he graduated is never referenced. In the first season episode "Best Man," Deacon mentions having served in the National Guard. '''Spencer "Spence" Olchin (played by Patton Oswalt) is another friend of Doug's, who is often viewed as the nerd of the group. When in school, Spence was often picked on; normally by the jocks, for being late to mature. He often notes that he was "14 and hairless" which was one of many contributing factors into his childhood bullying. Not only is he very paranoid, he also takes an interest in science fiction, fantasy movies, and comic book conventions—interests that his friends do not share. Spence's birthday is February 14. He is of Albanian heritage, and works as a subway token collector. In one episode, he is a "house boy" for Deacon and Kelly. His character is based largely on the actor who plays him, Patton Oswalt. Spence demonstrates intelligence and capability in a variety of pursuits, but he is haunted by his family history, his domineering and unstable mother, and his inability to assert himself with others. Numerous episodes mention that Spence is asthmatic (a burden he shares with Danny) and allergic to peanuts (however, in the episode "Richie's Song" he is seen eating Peanut M&M's out of Doug's vehicle). He asked if the M&M's were any good, and Doug asks if they were regular or peanut, in which he responds peanuts and proceeds to eat them. In the season eight episode "Hartford Wailer", Spence is said to be from Ottawa. In the series' penultimate episode, "Single Spaced," Spence becomes obsessed with romancing Carrie when it appears she and Doug will divorce. Recurring characters Kelly Palmer, Deacon's wife (played by Merrin Dungey) is Carrie's best friend. She has two children with Deacon. Kelly and Deacon experience some serious relationship problems, much more serious than the petty arguments between Doug and Carrie. On one occasion, Deacon mentions being hit in the head with a frying pan. She was absent from the show in 2002 because she needed to take a break from the series; during this period, her character was estranged from Deacon and engaged in a brief affair. Lou Ferrigno (seasons 3–9; himself) is the actor known for his role as The Incredible Hulk. Ferrigno and his wife are neighbors of the Heffernans. A running gag on the series is that the neighbors (including the Heffernans) are fascinated by him and it gets on his nerves. Lou does not like people telling him Hulk jokes. Other characters often make reference to his previous role as the Hulk. For example, at one point Doug is angry and Lou tries to calm him down; Doug retorts with the famous line from the Hulk series "Don't make me angry; you wouldn't like me when I am angry". Also, in the episode "Gym Neighbors", it is revealed that he has a video game addiction. Supervisor Patrick O'Boyle (seasons 3–9; played by Sam McMurray) is section supervisor for the fictional International Parcel Service. He is Doug's boss and friend throughout most of the show, whom he mostly refers to as "Heffernan". He is in most IPS scenes throughout the show. He is also a recovering alcoholic and gambling addict. A character named Supervisor Jack O'Boyle (played by John F. O'Donohue) appears in an episode from season one ("White Collar", 1999). Raymond "Ray" Barone (seasons 1, 2 & 8; 5 episodes; played by Ray Romano) is Doug's Long Island friend. Romano and James appearing on each other's shows was part of a network program crossover, as CBS aired both Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens. Romano's appearance was successful enough to warrant all other lead characters (Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, and Peter Boyle) to appear as their respective characters as well. Appropriately, the four episodes featuring Romano contained "Ray" in their titles ("Road Rayge", "Rayny Day", "Dire Strayts", and "Raygin' Bulls"). Doug Pruzan (season 2–6; played by Alex Skuby) is Carrie's boss and a lawyer at a Manhattan law firm. Veronica Olchin (season 1; played by Grace Zabriskie, seasons 5–9 played by Anne Meara]) Spence's mother. She is portrayed by Zabriske in her first appearance in "S'aint Valentines", but portrayed by Meara for the rest of the series. Veronica has an on-again/off-again relationship with Arthur, who is portrayed by Meara's real-life husband, Jerry Stiller. Meara had previously appeared in "S'aint Valentines" as a woman who flirts with Arthur. Arthur and Veronica marry in the series finale, but divorced a year later. 'Other Recurring/Minor Characters' * Stephanie Heffernan (Ricki Lake), Doug's sister * Joseph "Joe" Heffernan (Dakin Matthews), Doug's father * Raymond "Ray" Barone (played by Ray Romano). Doug becomes friends with Ray, which results in a few crossover episodes with Ray's sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. * Janet Heffernan (Jenny O'Hara), Doug's mother * Supervisor Patrick O'Boyle (Sam McMurray), Doug's boss * Carla Ferrigno (herself), Lou Ferrigno's wife (2000–07) * Denise Ruth Battaglia (Rachel Dratch), Spence's girlfriend * Mr. Kaplan (Victor Raider-Wexler), Carrie's boss (2001–03) * Mr. Kaufman (Victor Raider-Wexler), Carrie's boss (2006–07) * Kirby Palmer (Omari Lyles/Marshaun Daniel/Philip Daniel Bolden) * Major Palmer(Desmond Roberts/Austin Astrup) * Young Doug (Tyler Hendrickson) * Young Carrie (Madison Lanc) * Father McAndrew (Joe Flaherty), priest at the Heffernans' church * Tim Sacksky (Bryan Cranston), the Heffernans' neighbor * Dorothy Sacksky (Dee Dee Rescher), Heffernan neighbor * Mike Ross (Michael Lowry) * Debi Ross (Marcia Cross) * Mickey (Ford Rainey), a friend of Arthur's * Kim (Melissa Chan), Carrie's co-worker at Kaplan, Hornstein & Steckler * Amy (Christine Gonzales), Carrie's co-worker at Kaplan, Hornstein & Steckler * Dawn (Laura Silverman), Carrie's co-worker from the accounts department * George Barksdale (Gerry Black) * Stu Heffernan (Gavin McLeod), Doug's uncle and Danny's father * Trudy (Beecey Carlson), Danny's mother * Jimmy (Jimmy Shubert), Doug's co-worker at IPS * Duke (Steve Tancora), another of Doug's co-workers * Georgia Boone (Lisa Banes), Carrie's boss at the Dugan Group * Donna (Sandra Taylor), Richie's girlfriend See also * Kevin Can Wait (similar to James, Remini and Valentine) * Everybody Loves Raymond (similar to James and Romano) References External links *[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165581/ The King of Queens at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)] Category:Browse